Humans have been downing beer for millennia. In certain instances, some drinkers got an extra dose of medicine, according to an analysis of Nubian bones from Sudan in North Africa.
George Armelagos is an anthropologist at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. For more than two decades, he and his colleagues have studied bones dated to between A.D. 350 and 550 from Nubia, an ancient kingdom south of ancient Egypt along the Nile River.
The bones, the researchers say, contain traces of the antibiotic tetracycline. Today tetracycline is used to treat ailments ranging from acne flare-ups to urinary-tract infections. But the antibiotic only came into commercial use half a century ago. So how did tetracycline get into the Nubian bones?
We could have done without this: Armelagos said the Egyptians used beer as a gum-disease treatment, a dressing for wounds, and even an anal fumigant. . .
This seems like good news International alliance to unlock secrets of Egyptian mummies
Two world-renowned teams of experts on Egyptian mummies have joined forces in an international effort to better understand disease and its treatment in ancient Egypt.
The University of Manchester's Centre for Biomedical Egyptology and Cairo's National Research Center have signed a formal agreement to enhance future academic research and teaching in the field.
The Manchester-Cairo alliance will promote cooperation between the two institutions by supporting joint research activities and encouraging visits and exchanges by their staff and students.
Raiders of the Lost Bathroom Aristocrat's bathing room is unearthed
ARCHAEOLOGISTS are hoping to unearth fresh information about the lifestyle of 17th Century aristocrats after re-opening rooms at Bolsover Castle which have remained sealed for more than 100 years.
The castle is undergoing an improvement programme, and its owners, English Heritage are taking the opportunity to break through into some rooms which were sealed for safety reasons as the building crumbled into disrepair more than a century ago.
"That commode represents everything we got into archaeology for in the first place."
Archaeologists uncover scene of human sacrifice
A gruesome sight has met archaeologists engaged in excavations in central China - an altar devoted to human sacrifice, complete with the remains of an unfortunate victim.
The discovery of the 7,000-year-old cult site, near Hongjiang city in Hunan province, may make it necessary to rewrite history, as it is the earliest human sacrificial site ever found in China.
News from Mehr Burnt City’s satellite villages to shed light on ancient lifestyles
Iranian experts have determined that ten mounds located near the 5200-year-old Burnt City were once villages, archaeologist Alireza Khosravi announced on Wednesday.
“The discoveries will definitely provide us with useful information on the people living in the villages over the millennia,” added Khosravi, who is the director of the regional research center of the Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchestan Province.
The mounds are located near Iran’s border with Afghanistan, southeast of the Burnt City, which is located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol.
This would actually be quite interesting as investigation of these satellite villages would no doubt contribute immensely to knowledge of how the larger social system worked.
Note to any fabulously wealthy individuals out there: We'll do it!
Mohr from Mehr New find at Palace of Cyrus the Great in Charkhab
Experts working at the Palace of Cyrus the Great in Charkhab recently discovered the remains of several water channels four meters beneath the ground, the head of the archaeological team announced on Tuesday.
Ali-Akbar Sarfaraz said that the team found the channels while they were attempting to drain the water that had collected in several holes from previous excavations at the site, which is located near Borazjan in Iran’s southern province of Bushehr.
Wal-Mart cleared in lawsuit
A Circuit Court judge yesterday dismissed all claims against Wal-Mart in an ongoing lawsuit alleging mishandling of human remains unearthed during construction of the retail giant's Ke'eaumoku Street store.
The lawsuit will proceed on claims against the other defendants, the state and city governments. Trial is scheduled to begin July 18 on the remaining issues of violating state law and desecration of graves.
Judge Victoria Marks yesterday granted Wal-Mart's motion for summary judgment, saying plaintiffs Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei and Paulette Kaleikini could not seek damages for emotional distress stemming from the discovery of iwi kupuna (ancestral bones) at the construction sites in 2003.
Chinese made first use of diamond
Stone age craftsmen in China were polishing jade objects using diamond 2,000 years before anyone else had the same idea, new evidence suggests.
Quartz was previously thought to be the abrasive used to polish ceremonial axes in late stone age, or neolithic, China.
But the investigations of a Chinese-US team of scientists indicate that quartz alone would not have been able to achieve such lustrous finishes.
Archaeologists Find Artifacts Dating Back 3,000 Years
Something's got archaeologists sifting through a site in our area. While surveying the land where a new intersection will be, they found several artifacts dating thousands of years back.
The Department of Transportation is getting ready to start construction on a new intersection in the Cedar Creek area, and it must follow certain guidelines.
Tom Peronto, the WisDOT Design Project Leader, says, "Whenever you have a state or federally funded project, it's one of the historical requirements that you investigate and document any historical buildings or historical cultural sites like this."